The superorder
Xenarthra is a group of
placental mammals, extant today only in the
Americas and represented by
anteaters, tree
sloths, and
armadillos. The origins of the order can be traced as far back as the
Paleocene, as early as 59 million years ago in South America. Xenarthrans developed and diversified extensively in
South America during its long period of isolation in the early to mid
Cenozoic Era. They invaded the
Antilles by the early
Miocene and, starting about 9 Mya, spread to
Central and
North America as part of the
Great American Interchange. Nearly all of the formerly abundant
megafaunal xenarthrans, such as
ground sloths,
glyptodonts, and
pampatheres,
became extinct at the end of the
Pleistocene.